Meadows In The Mountains festival cancels 2025 edition and files for bankruptcy amid calls for refunds and staff payment

Bulgarian festival Meadows In The Mountain have cancelled their 2025 edition and are “preparing to file for bankruptcy”.

• READ MORE: Why have so many UK festivals been cancelled or postponed?

The festival announced the news in a statement posted on their website. Their last edition was held in 2023; the 2024 edition was postponed due to “revoked permissions” and “the difficult economic climate for festivals”.

Now, Meadows In The Mountain have said this year’s festival will not be going ahead in August as planned. The announcement comes amidst calls for refunds from the 2024 edition to be paid, with employees at the 2023 edition reporting they have also yet to be paid.

In their statement, the festival revealed they were “over €400,000” in debt and are “preparing to file for bankruptcy”, adding: “In the past two years, we’ve faced challenges that are now proving to be insurmountable, following a series of unfortunate events that have been pushing us backwards with every new step we’ve tried to take.”

The festival also added that the 2025 edition was cancelled as investors backed out in January for “other professional reasons”, whilst a final funding application was also rejected in March.

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A post shared by Meadows in the Mountains (@meadowsinthemountains)

Then, the festival claimed the 2024 edition was cancelled as elections in the EU and Bulgaria were scheduled during the festival. This apparently caused the festival’s permits to be revoked, “clipping our wings and sending us deeper into the red”.

Finally, the festival said a number of “serious personal allegations” in 2023 “led to the departure of some key members of our production team”. “Despite this, we pushed forward to deliver our gathering — at great personal and financial cost and risk,” they added. However, the festival admitted this created over “€150,000 in unpaid crew and service provider debt”.

They went on to address ticket holders and former employees waiting for payment. Tickets for this year’s edition are being held “in escrow”, and will be refunded automatically from whatever platform you’ve purchased from.

Going on to address the crew and service providers from 2023, the festival said: “We owe you more than just money – we owe you an apology. We know this debt is significant. It forms part of the bankruptcy proceedings, and while we currently have no funds to repay you, we are exploring every possible path toward future restitution.”

The festival added that 2024 tickets will also be processed through bankruptcy proceedings, saying that “we are not in a financial position to process your refunds. These debts will also form part of the bankruptcy proceedings. We understand how disappointing this is, and we’re deeply sorry. If and when we are able to generate income through new ventures, we truly hope to find a way to honour your support.”

For those whose 2024 tickets rolled over to this year, the team went on to claim if people were “open to other forms of compensation, we’d love to make that happen”.

They concluded: “To everyone we’ve hurt along the way — by over-promising, under-delivering, or staying silent too long sorry and acknowledge that many lessons were learned the hard way. The glory in living lives not in never falling, but in how we rise when we fall.”

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A post shared by Meadows in the Mountains (@meadowsinthemountains)

Whilst some fans have reacted with support and sadness, others have commented on their Instagram post. One called the festival organisers “scam artists”, adding that it was “in everyone’s best interest to stay clear of anything this team touches going forward”.

Another user wrote that the statement “feels like you’re mocking everyone who trusted you for two years”, whilst one simply wrote: “Anyone know how we sue collectively?”

These comments have followed the festival in the 12 months since announcing last year’s postponement.

In other news, a Bristol dance festival has been cancelled due to residents calling it “a form of torture”.

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